Today, we stand on the threshold of the finale of our epic series, which, every two weeks, has taken us into the world of the incredible EPHEMERA project. Gabriel Bergman Lahovary, known for his previous work with Heart On My Sleeve, has poured his heart and soul into the monumental EPHEMERA compilation, distinguished by its richness of collaborations and vast post hardcore landscapes. Today, we celebrate the premiere of the final song of this project, titled “This is Ephemera.”
The first part of Ephemera dazzled with its diversity of styles and sounds, and Ephemera Part II continues this tradition, featuring 56 artists from around the world, collectively pushing the boundaries of screamo and post-hardcore.
Reflecting on this project, Gabriel captures the scale of this project: “This has been a journey in so many ways. The first song has four different languages and a violin. The second song has two drummers, a violin, and a trumpet. The third song is the only one where I play guitar myself but it has two bass players and digital drums. The fourth song is almost 11 minutes long and has three guitarists. The fifth song only has female screamers/singers. The last song included 16 singers!”
The premiere of “This is Ephemera” brings the true finale of Ephemera II, featuring a song composed of 16 vocalists, singing in various languages: English, Swedish, Danish, Italian, French, Dutch, and Basque.
The song unfolds in segments featuring Dan Mélizan of OLD PRIDE with Jonathan Spånberger of NIONDE PLÅGAN; Giuseppe Del Re of CHIVALA with Andrew Thomas Davidson of PUKE WOLF; Antoine Mansion of CHALK HANDS with Aurelien Verdant of DAÏTRO; Rutger Von Aken of SECOND GUESSING with Endika W. Bush of ANTEROS; Dan Mélizan of OLD PRIDE again with Antoine Botch Kowski of BARQUE; Shervin Ashrafi of CARELESS/PASSTHRU with Alessandro Biesuz of PUT PÚRANA; and finally, the entire DEMERSAL group consisting of Viktor Ravn, Emil Vilmar Lake, Jonas Maigaard, and Sebastian Greis Andersen. Enrico Maule of SHIZUNE is also featured as a singer.
Instrumentalists include Gabriel Bergman Lahovary of HEART ON MY SLEEVE, Cat Rowland of INCASEYOULEAVE, Buster Ross of KIDCRASH, and Ruben Mostunen of ALAS. The mix and mastering were handled by Behzad Mehrnoosh of NIONDE PLÅGAN, and the cover design was created by Mathias Almqvist.
Gabriel Bergman Lahovary shared his thoughts on the project: “Recording this song was a unique experience. Initially, there were only going to be two vocalists, but eventually, I decided on 16. Each segment lasts about 20 seconds, which allowed for quick recording and integration of different styles. Daïtro’s Aurelien Verdant added a unique element to the track, and Dan Melizan’s rapid response and recording were incredible. We created something truly special.”
The Ephemera Part II project concludes, but the musical journey does not end here. Gabriel Bergman Lahovary has created a platform where artists from different parts of the world could join forces, creating something unforgettable.
As we bid farewell to this chapter, we invite you to delve deeper into the essence of the project, to discover the inspirations and stories behind the last song and the whole project of Ephemera. Dive into our last mega interview in the series below!
“This is Ephemera” Interview:
How did you navigate the challenge of recording your segments separately and ensuring they meshed coherently in the final mix of “This is Ephemera”? How did you coordinate to deliver a harmonious conclusion to the song despite the distance?
Gabriel: How this song turned out was because, first I had one male and one female singer on this song. They canceled and then I was thinking, what should I do now? Then it just came to me. To make it simple, just have two singers on every part of the song.
This makes in general 20 seconds, which should be too big for anyone to join. But it will be a lot of different singers. I thought to give it a try and yes everyone was fast and it worked very well. So it ended up with 16 singers on one song! Hahahaha, yeah it’s true, I’m not lying.
I’m so glad that the Daïtro singer could join and make some spoken words on it. But all the singers made it awesome. I tried to have some female screamers, but everyone I asked couldn’t join. So that’s the only thing I’m sad about. I think I never got an answer and recorded as fast as I asked Dan Mélizan.
He answered fast and for real. 10 minutes later I had his first recording. I laughed and was so surprised at how fast that guy was. I’m so glad for this rare mix and I love how all the members in Demersal end this. I remember many years ago when 30-second songs from different bands were released on vinyl. This is a little like that but all in one song.
The name of the Song was decided by me because we have 16 singers to decide. And I think to end this release, I wanted to give the name ”This is Ephemera” because of the extreme of various artists collaborating.
Andrew Thomas Davidson: I was paired with Giuseppe from Chivàla which I was pretty stoked about. I’m very fond of their EP II. We started writing back and forth, first getting to know each other a little bit, which I think helped us getting a bit of a closer bond that in the end shaped the tiny fragment of the song that we had been given. Being a fan of a lot of the old Euro screamo bands, I suggested Giuseppe that he did this part in the classic Italian screamo spoken word-style. The guitarist from my band recorded my vocals and then we sent a reference mix with my vocals placed way in the background with loads of reverb.
Dan Mélizan: I’ve been involved in a few long-distance collaborative projects before so I’m pretty familiar with the overall idea of recording separately and having someone mesh all the parts together. Every project is different though and with so many singers on this song, it was a really fun challenge making sure my parts fit well with those around me.
Vitktor Raven: We all got the same overall theme to write about: Gabriel told everybody to write about something that only exists for a limited time, which is basically what ephemera means. That theme gave everyone involved a certain frame to work within, which is always nice when you have to settle on something in these kind of big mutual writing sessions, I think. We managed to write and record the Demersal part very immediate without overthinking anything too much.
Shervin Ashrafi: Gabriel provided me with the tracks and a timeline indicating where I should record my segments. The distance wasn’t a problem at all. My part was quite small, only taking a few minutes to record.
Cat Rowland: The process of recording was actually very smooth and Gabriel was great when it came to sending us instructions and communicating what was needed as the song was being worked on. When it came to writing my guitar parts, I wanted to write in more of a restrained, deliberate way rather than just adding parts for the sake of it. I felt it was important to let each instrumental part shine and allow for the song to flow and build naturally. So effectively, my approach was to add where I felt the song could most benefit from having more layers of melody whether that be with strummed chords or picked notes.
Buster Ross: The experience was a lot different than I’m used to in terms of songwriting. When I wrote with my bandmates in Kidcrash, much of what we did was based on a lot of coordinated changes and flips of phrasing and feel that just wasn’t possible here. It challenged me in a new way for sure. It was also hard to not write with a bass player! Ultimately, what I enjoyed most about this was the way this piece of art got to evolve with each person that participated.
Giuseppe Del Re: I had a similar experience three years ago when I was asked by Radura to contribute to the vocals of “Tutto il tempo che ho passato a non vedere” (in “Effetto della veduta d’insieme”).
I remember we underwent several reaharsals until everybody was satisfied about the part. I learned from this experience and I tried to communicate as much as possible with Andrew from the start.
We firstly agreed about the topic of the lyrics, than we decided to blend the spoken words with the screams and talked with Gabriel about it. As a result the recording and the mixing of our vocals was pretty smooth.
Jonathan Spånberger: It sure was a challenge! To be honest, when I first heard about it, I thought it was quite a bad idea with this many vocalists in the same song, haha. I even told Bez who was going to mix it: ”Oh shit, you’re going to hate working with this one”. I’m very happy to have been proven wrong though, as I think this ended up really cool!
I came in quite late into this song and what I was provided with was everyone’s lyrics and just a short snippet of the recordings (incl. Dan’s section which I was set to supplement). Not knowing everything didn’t make it easy ofc, but at least a lot easier I think. Being able to focus on just ”my” 20 seconds, trying to find cool rythms and harmonies that worked with how Dan did his part.
Ruben Mustonen: The recording experience was surprisingly easy and pleasant. It was fun trying to listen to the guitars and figure the bass based on that. In the end, however, the bass determines the course of the entire song. Because of the distance, the bass sometimes plays “wrong”, but I think it fits the feeling of the song.
With such an eclectic mix of languages, how did you decide on the language distribution for your parts, and what did it add to the song’s narrative?
Gabriel: I just told all the members to sing how they want and use wich languages they prefer.
Andrew Thomas Davidson: I thought it was a no brainer that Giuseppe and I each wrote parts in our native tongue, Italian and Danish. I think it gives the entire track a lot more depth, a lot more to discover for the listener; they have to go back, listen again, translate the lyrics – and then maybe something new opens up for them.
Dan Mélizan: I can only speak English so that was an easy choice for me! We decided we would pair my parts with ones not in English though to create a contrast. I think having so many languages really exemplifies the story of so many of us coming together from all over the world to create together, and to support each other.
Vitktor Raven: We thought it was very beautiful to have a lot of different languanges featured in the same track. It kind of gave the project a “larger than life” feeling that we where not bound by any languange coherences or language barriers or anything like that. We wrote our part in danish as all our new material is in danish anyway. It feels more personal and honest for me to write lyrics in my first language.
Giuseppe Del Re: Andrew took the initiative and sent me his lyrics written in Danish with the English translation. The meaning was really powerful, it struck me deeply and I tried to thematically link my part to his.
We agreed to write in our native languages because we felt that we could convey a stronger meaning that way. We liked the dramatic effect of the two different sounding languages over each other as well.
Andrew’s lyrics end with “everything darkens/but the sun is still shining”. I tried to use the same metaphor at the start of my part “one day after the other/and than the night falls”.
I wanted to describe a childhood memory, remembering a person I loved dearly who sadly passed away some time ago.
Jonathan Spånberger:I don’t think there was an actual plan or decision, really. I think that would have been quite an impossible project. But that’s what is so cool about this project I think, it ends up great anyway! Since there’s so many skilled people involved who can just work with their gut feeling on what would fit with the rest, it just ”happens” to work out without a proper ”project leader” in terms of the artistic aspects.
Antonie: For my part, as I only had to do one sentence, I just went with something self-contained that talked about my own feelings with the word ‘éphémère’ (in French), which means ‘that only lives for a short amount of time’. This is a word that resonates with me a lot as the temporary nature of our lives is something I tend to obsess about, and which gives me both drive and anxiety in equal measure.
Alessandro: I like to use my native language to sing, i can express my self better and the choice of words is more wide, i like also to move in the direction of who did this before me in Europe in this genre, everyone was singing in his own language and it’s cool to keep the legacy.
Shervin Ashrafi: This decision was based on my comfort and familiarity with the English language. While the song may have had a mix of languages, sticking to English for my contribution ensured that I could convey my emotions and intentions effectively. As for what it added to the song’s narrative, my choice of language might have contributed to the overall cohesion of the piece.
Find the full lyrics below the interview…
Shervin Ashrafi and Alessandro Biesuz Put Púrana, could you describe the dynamic of pairing your vocal styles together? Was there a thematic reason behind this pairing?
Shervin Ashrafi: Pairing our vocal styles together was akin to merging two distinct elements to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Alessandro’s vocal style, with its emotive depth and nuanced delivery, provided a rich foundation for the song’s narrative. It resonated with a sense of raw authenticity, drawing me into the depths of emotion.
For me, combining the demands of my creative process of songwriting presented a unique challenge. We didn’t really discuss the terms of the narrative; I just went on raw emotions after hearing his beautiful voice echoing through my head. This spontaneous approach allowed our vocal styles to intertwine organically, each complementing the other in a seamless blend of emotion and expression. The thematic reason behind this pairing may lie in the desire to evoke a profound emotional resonance within the listener, transcending linguistic or cultural barriers to create a universal connection through music.
Alessandro: I have recorded my part first so i have thought to keep an intense and long scream on vowels, I let my part breath as i knew Shervin would have recorded his part over mine.
Dan, you feature twice in the song; what was the process for integrating your contributions, and how did you differentiate your performance for each part?
Dan Mélizan: I was asked to do just one part originally which worked out great because when I revisited the song later, it felt like a brand new opportunity to do something different on my 2nd part. I was only sent small snippets of the song but we’d agreed on the lyrical theme of the meaning of ‘Ephemera’ itself, so I drew on that and tried to create some parallels to my lyrical work in old pride as well. The opening part is the 2nd time I’ve ever tried to properly ‘sing’ as well and it turned out great!
To the instrumentalists, Gabriel, Cat, Buster, and Ruben, how did you approach the creation of a musical backdrop to accommodate the variety of vocal styles?
Gabriel: Like all songs, I just had my guitars in the beginning. On this song, I recorded more than just one guitar on many parts. But I wanted one more guitarist to join. So when I found Cat I was so glad she could join. I liked how Buster plays drums and how awesome he is as a person. I love the band Kidcrash and am so happy that he could join. He is playing also on 生き甲斐 Rendez-vous (Song 2) together collaborating with another drummer. But this song was the first one I asked him to join. So this is only him playing. I found Ruben from a band I never heard of before (ALAS) and was glad that he could join.
Cat Rowland: In a similar way to not wanting the song to sound too instrumentally crowded, I wanted to leave space for some sections to sound more sparse allowing each vocal to feature more prominently. I think that makes things not only more interesting dynamically, but also adds to the overall emotion of the song.
Buster Ross: I tried to play a little more sparse and spacious, less chaotic than the stuff I typically play in Kidcrash (though we definitely opt to kick a straight groove plenty on those records).
Ruben Mustonen: I tried to find the essential chords that the guitars were playing, although it was a bit challenging. I didn’t know anything about the vocals at the recording stage because the recording was based on the demo version received from Gabriel. I thought that the distorted bass fits well with the soundscape of the song, because the song had cleaner guitars which are typical for screamo.
6:
Cat, as the guitarist who aimed for more female voices, can you share your thoughts on diversity in music collaborations and your efforts in this project?
Cat Rowland: It’s no secret that female voices within the underground music scene are often few and far between. That said, there are certainly more female vocalists in bands now compared to what I remember growing up, so that feels like a positive change. For “This is Ephemera”, I had a few female voices in mind although some were already busy with other projects, so generally this came to be a bit of a challenge. From what I’ve seen of music collaborations more generally, I think they are getting better at including a greater diversity of musicians than before, which is great to see. I think this is partly thanks to more of a collective and conscious effort to improve the voices we choose to foreground so that it’s not just cis white men!
As the last song on the album, how do you feel “This is Ephemera” represents the core message of the project, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
Andrew Thomas Davidson: I hope they hear something new each time they listen to it, because there’s so much going on.
Dan Mélizan: Having so many of us contribute to this one song and having the lyrics focus on the word Ephemera itself I think kind of wraps everything up into one package. There’s a bit of everything from the project in this final track and sonically it just sounds like a big triumph moment too.
Shervin Ashrafi: As the final echo lingers in the air, the song emerges as the crystalline essence of our project’s soul. It dances on the precipice of existence, a melody woven with threads of fleeting moments and whispered dreams. In its decadence, it whispers of the transient nature of our journey through time, each note a delicate reminder of the beauty found in impermanence. Like a fleeting sunrise painting the sky in hues of gold, the song beckons listeners to embrace the fleeting beauty of the present moment.
With each lyrical verse, most of what I don’t understand, the song paints a portrait of life’s ephemeral dance—a delicate balance between nothingness and anything. It urges listeners to grasp the ephemeral with both hands, to cherish each passing moment as a precious gem in the tapestry of existence.
I hope listeners are left with hearts alight with the gentle glow of introspection. I hope they carry the melody of “This is Ephemera” with them, a beacon guiding them to find solace and serenity in the ever-changing rhythm of life’s symphony.
Cat Rowland: I think the song itself takes you on a journey from a place of despair and desperation to one that is more hopeful and optimistic. You can also hear this in the dynamic changes and melodic progression of the song. I hope that listeners will take away a sense of hope from the song, and the feeling that however bad life might get, you’re never alone.
Alessandro: I had very short part and i have thought to incanalate as better as possible in very few words without doing for example a fast spoken word full of stuff. My part say “I have found in the cellar vinyls of my mother” that is something happened for real and touched me a lot when i saw them, they are the most Ephemeras things I’ve experienced.
8:
Apart from Epehemera, what other collaborative projects and compilations would you recommend for fans of this type of post hardcore?
Andrew Thomas Davidson: I don’t think anyone has done something quite like this, but one of my absolute favorite albums is the Daïtro/Sed Non Satiata split, and if you haven’t heard that, you need to do it right now.
Dan Mélizan: Self Isolation Family is a must for this type of collaborative effort, an incredible project with an incredible lineup of people. Sardonic Entropy Nexus by de facto enscripture has an absolutely mindblowing collection of musicians on it, definitely a must listen. And last year I was involved in a collaborative record called Through A Hole In Recent Memory under the name Bitter Pill which was so so fun to do.
Vitktor Raven: Not just a phase has two compilations out. Both really great!
Cat Rowland: In terms of compilations, ‘Balladeers, Redefined’ by Secret Voice (Jeremy Bolm of Touche Amore’s label), ‘e-sims for Gaza’ by Middle Man Records, ‘Slava Ukraini’ by Hunkofplastic Records, ‘Miss The Stars – Screamo Sampler X’ and also any of the earlier samplers by Miss The Stars.
Alessandro: I think everyone must listen to any Split Record, the best part of doing music is doing it with a lot of friends, it’s very fun to listen world froom different bands mergin in only one
How would you comment on the current state of the screamo scene, both in your local environment and globally?
Gabriel: Because Ephemera is local for me right now i want to recommend all bands in this project. Chalk Hands, Heart On My Sleeve, Jiolette, Vi som älskade varandra så mycket, Gillian Carter, Gros Enfant Mort, Marcovaldo, Kidcrash, Fall Of Messiah, Okänt, Respire, Shizune, Vægtløs, Suffocate For Fuck Sake, flowers&shelters, Kaospilot, Sed Non Satiata, Lorem Ipsum, Earth Moves, Øjne, Nionde Plågan, Blechdrinker, Eldstad, Naïveté, The Tidal Sleep, No Omega, We Came Out Like Tigers, Incaseyouleaveme, Rat Chasm, Abject Horror, Reikä, Arsen aka König Der Monster, Aureole of ash, ALAS, old pride, Chivala, Puke Wolf, Second Gueissing, Anteros, Careless, Passthru, Barque, Put Pùrana, Daïtro, Dermesal.
Andrew Thomas Davidson: Screamo is not very big in Denmark. There are a few bands, but I wouldn’t call it a scene. Denmark is small so bands that share just an inkling of references or a sound that’s close enough will play together, and I think it’s really great that the audience get a broader perspective of the “alternative” music scene in Denmark.
Dan Mélizan: Globally the screamo scene has never been stronger, and it’s internationally connected in a way no other scene is which is why projects like this are possible! Locally though the UK is lacking. There’s a very small number of active bands and very few shows, and since Brexit we miss out on a lot of tours too because it’s too complicated and/or expensive for foreign bands to come here.
Vitktor Raven: I feel it’s very easy to get in contact and collaborate between countries and cultures all over the world, which I think is a really beautiful thing! And something that this ephemera project is a very clear example of. We don’t have the biggest screamo scene in Denmark. I feel like Demersal and other bands alike get more attention from outside Denmark sometimes. However, the general hardcore scene is very good here in Denmark. A small scene, but really great bands coming out of it!
Shervin Ashrafi: Reflecting on the current state of the screamo scene, both locally and globally, it appears to have reached a point of dormancy, if not outright decline.
Locally, the screamo scene has dwindled, with few to no bands emerging and fewer venues hosting screamo shows. Despite this, there are a few bands emerging from the depths of Malmö, such as “…och sedan drunknade vi.” In many ways, this decline could be seen as a natural evolution of the music scene. Even if bands such as Orchid and Saetia are playing again, there’s not a screamo scene in Sweden alive anymore as it was when bands like Amalthea, Rainmaker and If footmen Tire you, What Will Horsed Do?
Cat Rowland: The screamo scene both in London and the UK is currently pretty small, even in spite of a slight resurgence in the last few years with new bands emerging. Europe has always had more of a thriving screamo scene, which is encouraging and also means there are still opportunities for UK screamo bands to tour over there without too much difficulty – the same can be said for other parts of the world, such as the US and Asia, although they’re a bit further to travel to!
Added to that, I think the covid pandemic helped raise awareness of lots of bands out there on an international level but mainly because we were all just more online, so it was a way to discover new bands – especially those that could still meet to play and livestream it on social media. On the flip side of that, the pandemic unfortunately marked the end for a lot of bands when suddenly it became nearly impossible to gig on a local level let alone tour internationally. Thankfully that’s behind us now though and hopefully we’ll continue to see more screamo bands emerge!
Buster Ross: I run the A&R department at the digital distribution company Too Lost (toolost.com), and I am trying to support the next wave of the scene online, starting with this project. Screamo bands and labels can get a free account for a year using the code BUSTER2024. Artists and labels looking for funding/marketing support are welcome to send projects to [email protected] for our team to check out.
Ruben Mustonen: In Finland, screamo and emo are doing really well and we have many good active bands here. There have never been as many active screamo bands in Finland as there are now, I would argue. I think this subgenre is experiencing a boom globally, because many classic bands are playing reunion shows and new audiences have also discovered these legendary bands for the first time.
Antonie: I’m hopeful, it’s still strong even though it’s a niche. There’s not a huge focus on it in here the UK but we still manage to play some great shows, our recent tour with Frail Body confirmed that for me.
Can you share some of the local under the radar bands we should keep an eye on?
Andrew Thomas Davidson: Demersal, who are also on this track, are phenomenal. kollapse put out a record this year ‘Ar’ that I’m absolutely infatuated with. Vægtløs and Omsorg are creating beautiful music right now. Hudsult from Aarhus, my hometown, have got something going on, very much an old school screamo sound, I would say. HIRAKI which is so hard to pigeonhole, but they are just a force to be reckoned with.
Loose Ends are writing new stuff that will surprise everyone, I’m sensing some Orchid and City of Caterpillar in their sound.
Regarding Ambiguity, EYES, SYL, Foreshadower, Koya. I hate making these lists, because I always forget someone, but all of these bands are doing something very interesting right now.
Dan Mélizan: Cainhurst, Closed Hands, As Living Arrows, Punch On!, Komarov, Hidden Mothers, Jøtnarr, incaseyouleave, Fox Strikes, knives chau fan club, Chime Hours, belleza.
Vitktor Raven: Local bands in Denmark – Hiraki, kollapse, omsorg, Regarding Ambiguity, syl, hudsult, vægtløs, Pleaser, Salver.
Shervin Ashrafi: Exploring the local music scene can be like embarking on a treasure hunt for hidden gems. One such gem is the melancholic beauty of …och sedan drunknade vi. Their sad melodies resonate deeply, weaving stories of emotion and introspection. It’s a journey into the depths of sound where each note carries a weighty narrative.
And then there’s “Calcinado,” a band that offers a stark contrast with their fierce and menacing riffs. Their music feels like a plunge into a dark abyss, where the raw energy of their sound grips you and refuses to let go. It’s a thrilling ride through a landscape of sonic aggression, leaving you exhilarated and craving more.
Cat Rowland: Int terms of UK bands; As Living Arrows, Pleiades, Cainhurst, Tethered, Ritual Error, Knives Chau Fan Club, Prise, I’m Sorry Emil.
Antonie: Absolutely, my current favourite band from Brighton are Pascagoula, they’re amazing! (Even though they’re not screamo)
Alessandro: In Italy we’re having a florid screamo scene, every year new bands are approaching, my favourite at the moment are Noverte, Irma and Sacrofuoco all of them released first album 2023-2024
How about your core bands and projects? What can we expect from them this year and beyond?
Andrew Thomas Davidson: My band Puke Wolf is currently in the studio working on our first full length.
After releasing three EPs, we thought it was about time to really dig deep and express ourselves. It’s been a tough ride, but being in the studio we’re finally seeing the fruit of our labor. It probably won’t be out until the beginning of 2025, but I’m very much looking forward to showing it off to the world. Hopefully they it makes them feel something, anything.
Dan Mélizan: I’ve got some really exciting things happening with my punk bands Perp Walk and Tension. Perp Walk are playing Outbreak Festival and have a really huge announcement being finalised, and Tension are starting to gain some really nice momentum and hopefully have a great split coming out this year.
Vitktor Raven: We, Demersal, are releasing our second full length album on May 10th.
Shervin Ashrafi: I’m thrilled to share that there are several exciting projects simmering in the creative cauldron! Let’s start with “Nattens Bravader” or “Conquests of the Night,” a fantasy book that’s been brewing in the depths of my imagination.
In this tale, readers will journey through realms infused with magic and adventure, encountering heroes, villains, and mythical creatures along the way. It’s a narrative where every page is imbued with wonder, where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur, inviting readers to lose themselves in the enchanting tapestry of storytelling.
But that’s not all! There’s another endeavor that’s been stirring up excitement – a new power metal band project. While the name is still shrouded in mystery, I can reveal that it’s centered around a captivating theme: a dragon and an egg.
Cat Rowland: My band incaseyouleave are due to release three new singles over the coming months which will be our first batch of new music since our 2021 debut EP, “Time and Why It Doesn’t Deserve Us”. It’s been a few years since that release so it’s exciting to finally be able to put new songs out there.
I also sing and play synth and glockenspiel in an emo/indie band called Lakes and we are also looking forward to releasing new music later this year, so watch this space for both of those!
Buster Ross: My old band Kidcrash has owed fans our last album for more than a decade, just finishing the vocals. It’s important to all of us that we finish it and while most folks don’t think it’ll ever happen I remain optimistic that we will!
Giuseppe Del Re: Me and the other members from chivàla have been working hard on a bunch of new songs in the last year and a half. Right now we are in studio recording them.
The plan is to release our first LP by autumn. It really means a lot to us: it’s the first time we’re working on project like this. We can’t wait for it to be out!
Jonathan Spånberger: Nionde Plågan is always working in ups and downs. Right now, we haven’t done much at all for the last 6 months or so, but hopefully we’ll do a few shows again this fall and start writing new songs again.
Maybe we’ll have a new album ready in 2025 if we’re lucky. And then we’ll probably want to go out touring again in 2025. But you never know!
Ruben Mustonen: Alas will release split this year with one hell of a good Finnish emo band. More on that later. I would dare to say that Alas will also start working on a full-length album during this year.
My other band, Rats Will Feast (chaotic hardcore), will release an album this spring and after that we will go on tour in Europe. It’s gonna be wild.
Antonie: We’re currently writing a new album with Chalk Hands and we’re hoping to release it some time in 2025!
Alessandro: With Put Pùrana we released a split in April with french Chaotic Hardcore band Tromblon and we toured Europe for more then a week to present it.
In August we’re about to revord another split with an italian band and probably another split we’ll be released next year. All these songs were written in different parts of 2021, 2022 and 2023 and we felt not coomfortable to release in a collage lp, so let’s go for splits!!!
Lastly, feel free to share your final words to close this chapter of Ephemera.
Gabriel: This feels so good to end this but also so said. This has been there in everyday communicating with everyone from December 2022 until now. I hope the listeners understand the feeling of being free in the creation of music. That is to do what you want together without any rules and just to try to feel that from your heart. To be in a band often someone wants to change things or do in other ways. But it can also be very cool and amazing to let everything be what it is. And “This is Ephemera” <3
And last Word! Thank you IDIOTEQ for explaing this world of Ephemera 🫶🏼
Andrew Thomas Davidson: I’m just really happy to have been part of this project with so many talented musicians that I look up to.
Dan Mélizan: This project is an incredible feat and Gabriel has done incredible work putting it together down to the finest details. I bloody love screamo.
Vitktor Raven: Thank you Gabriel and everyone involved!
Shervin Ashrafi: I find myself speechless, yet compelled to leave a lingering thought. Just as ice can break under the force of an icebreaker, so too can songs wield immense power.
Cat Rowland: It’s been amazing to be part of a project with so many like-minded individuals and talented musicians from all over the world who are passionate about screamo and whose music I love. I’ve always wanted to be part of a collaborative project such as this, so huge thanks to Gabriel for organising it all and including me in it!
Buster Ross: I’m super grateful for the insane amount of work Gabriel put in on this, and to all our fellow collaborators! This was a blast.
Giuseppe Del Re: When Gabriel wrote me I couldn’t believe it because I’ve always been a fan of Heart On My Sleeve.
I’ve seen his commitment in the project, the energy he’s profused into it and I really respect his passionate attitude.
The songs are so powerful thanks to the contribution of so many talented artists and I am thankful to be a part of the Ephemera project.
Jonathan Spånberger:I think this project is really amazing when it comes to providing a feeling of belonging. On a day-to-day basis, I can’t say I feel part of a ’screamo community’ very strongly. But while on tour, you feel that very much and gets a lot of inspiration!
Ephemera enabled a similar feeling, it formed a possibility to reconnect with other people you’ve connected with in the past and it was really inspirational to see how positive everyone was to be part of the project, and to see it grow like a snowball. To give some example: Gabriel got me really excited on the project and in my turn, I brought Azael, Eslin, Behzad and Fernando in to various roles. And I think most other people worked in the same way, helping Gabriel grow and shape the project into its final form like that.
Ruben Mustonen: Thank you, it was a pleasure to be part of this project! It was great to see how the song formed into a beautiful whole together with great musicians.
Antonie: As usual, thank you Gabriel for coordinating this huge operation and to IDIOTEQ for always supporting the scene, I’m pretty sure this website is playing a huge part in why this scene is alive today!
“This Meaning of Ephemera” lyrics:
I won’t wait for another, I’ll be free
Vad enkelt allt vore om man bara existera
I won’t wait for a saviour, I’ll save me
För ett kort ögonblick, helt kontextlöst
If life keeps moving
Livet fladdrar förbi
Why do I feel so stagnant
Som en dagslända
Caving in
Un giorno dopo l’altro e si fa notte
Den varme sommernat
Mi posavi gentilmente sui cuscini
Der føles alt for bekendt
Adesso sono io a posare fiori
Dentro di me nessun colore manca
Men som kun var et flygtigt øjeblik
Sono un vaso di preziosa memoria
Det sortner, det sortner
Si même le long terme est éphémère
J’ai pas le temps de prendre la poussière
Lasciarsi andare alle onde
per confonderci
con le maree
senza il rimpianto
di trovarci qui
alla deriva del pensiero
Aussitôt vivant
Aussitôt mort
Comme si nous n’avions jamais vécu
Comme une goutte dans l’océan
Perdu dans la multitude
Perdu avant même d’avoir vécu
Ulertezina naiz ezinbesteko
Hoe hebben we zo veel macht weggegeven?
Olatuen bultzada labur eta bitxi
Een pagina draagt de discipline
Une oro, une galkor,
ez al gaude guztiok hontan ados?
van een vuurpeloton
draagt de zachte schijn van een vrijdom.
Zorionez oroimenak gordetzen ditu
Je kan niet, je kan niet winnen.
shortest moments,
inner fragments
Setting sun
shortest moments,
inner fragments,
I think back to those moments when
fleeting
We would just sit and stare
but deep in us (sit and stare)
And calm would wash over us
I awake in a world filled with worms, I travel in dirt and ravish in pure ass. No place to extend, no place to birth
Ho trovato in cantina
Vinili di mia madre
Et sagte ekko løber over min horisont
mens jeg ser dit billede og glemmer, hvem jeg er
I fragmenter er vi virkelig
uovervindelige
I fragmenter er vi virkelige
Credits for “This is Ephemera”:
- Part 1 (00:00-00:38): Dan Melizan of OLD PRIDE singing with Jonathan Spånberger of NIONDE PLÅGAN.
- Part 2 (00:38-00:53): Giuseppe Del Re of CHIVALA singing with Andrew Thomas Davidson of PUKE WOLF.
- Part 3 (00:53-01:14): Antoine Mansion of CHALK HANDS.
- Part 4 (01:14-01:24): Aurelien Verdant of DAÏTRO.
- Part 5 (01:28-02:31): Rutger Von Aken of SECOND GUESSING singing with Endika W. Bush of ANTEROS.
- Part 6 (02:31-02:50): Dan Melizan of OLD PRIDE again, singing with Antoine Botch Kowski of BARQUE.
- Part 7 (02:50-03:05): Shervin Ashrafi of CARELESS/PASSTHRU singing with Alessandro Biesuz of PUT PÚRANA.
- Part 8 (03:05-03:37): All singers from DEMERSAL (Viktor Ravn, Emil Vilmar Lake, Jonas Maigaard, and Sebastian Greis Andersen).
Instrumentalists:
- Gabriel Bergman Lahovary (HEART ON MY SLEEVE) – Guitar
- Cat Rowland (INCASEYOULeave) – Guitar
- Buster Ross (KIDCRASH) – Drums
- Ruben Mostunen (ALAS) – Bass
